Services for Victims of Crime

From 1 April 2015 the majority of support services for victims will be provided at a local level by the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), with grant funding provided by the Ministry of Justice.

Bedfordshire’s Commissioner is determined to ensure the victim’s perspective is at the heart of the services available.

The team have therefore spent the last year developing a new model of services that will see victims of crime and anti-social behaviour in Bedfordshire benefitting from enhanced levels of help and support. The service has been designed in response to feedback from victims, victims’ groups and service providers and aims to provide an appropriate local solution to local needs.

Click the above image for more information.

The Commissioner is commissioning Victim Support as part of an Eastern Region Consortium to continue to handle police referrals and self-referrals of victims of crime in Beds. The region includes Suffolk, Norfolk, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Essex. If you are a victim of crime contact Victim Support who will refer you to the most appropriate support services:-

The Commissioner will scrutinise the service provided closely, talking to people who have used the service and gaining feedback from as many different perspectives as possible. She is firmly committed to ensuring the delivery of quality outcomes that meet the divergent needs of different people, who are victims of different types of crime. If you wish to contact her with details of your experience please contact us.

In addition, the Ministry of Justice has developed a comprehensive list of local victims’ services in England and Wales which you can find at: www.victimsinformationservice.org.uk.

If you prefer you can telephone the Ministry of Justice Victims Information Line on 0808 168 9293. The information available is purely designed to direct victims of crime to the relevant local service and does not offer support services.

What if I don't want to talk to the Police?

We understand that sometimes victims of crimes do not want to talk to the police about their experience. You can still access support services to help you cope and recover from your experience. Don’t worry if the crime is historic and you turned down support before, you can still access the services now or at any time.

The Victims' Code

The new Victims’ Code was launched in December 2013 and work has been ongoing within Bedfordshire Police and partners to embed it effectively.
You can find out what this means to you by clicking here.

The Commissioner receives regular updates from the Chief Constable and other Chief Officers on the implementation of the Victims Code.

Bedfordshire Needs Assessment

We have produced a Needs Assessment to inform our future commissioning intentions for victims’ services in Bedfordshire. This process took place with the involvement of our key partners and stakeholders, including the Bedfordshire Victims’ Services Partnership. The document can be downloaded below:-